1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates mainly to horizontal and vertical fermenting mixing kneaders, with rotating tool and nonrotating tool, with nonrotating vessel and with tilting or with raisable head, capable of being equipped with cooling/heating, for example by Peltier modules, with a suitable programmer for the manufacture and preservation of sourdough, and, more particularly, to mixing kneaders, with nonrotating or rotating vessel, with setting/programming of the instantaneous mechanical kneading energy.
2. Description of Related Art
In fermenting mixing kneaders, with rotating tool/nonrotating tool, no tilting system is provided; and, on other horizontal kneaders, emptying by tilting is generally ensured by means of an electric jack or costly hydraulics.
The two static-shaft/rotating-sleeve combinations are held by themselves, thus making it necessary, in this initial configuration, to have costly rolling bearings with large diameters, as described in French patent number 93/11754 of Sep. 27, 1993, published under number 2710551.
In the abovementioned patent, due to the initial location of the thermometric probe when the latter is arranged in the nonrotating tool, it is not possible to log measurements on medium and small dough quantities, but only on complete batches.
In general, the transmissions of heat and cold are diffused to the product in preparation via the walls of the vessel and the renewal of the dough stream as a result of the action of the blending/kneading/mixing/beating tools; if appropriate, by means of the nonrotating tool, but without the use of the rotating tool which may be hollow and serve as an additional exchanger.
In fermenting mixing kneaders with a horizontal and vertical nonrotating vessel, such as are described in the abovementioned patent, the oxygenation of the stream of the mass of product has a great influence on the results on account of the rotation, configuration and speed of the tools. It is already assisted, in the case, for example, of a rotating tool/nonrotating tool, by the effect of stretching/blowing of the dough, surprisingly mechanically reproducing ancestral human movements in a horizontal configuration, but without the use of the nonrotating tool which may be hollow and serve for injecting thermostatically controlled gaseous products into the product in the vessel.
The difference between a dough kneader and a dough fermenter, these two types of appliance having a configuration with identical tools and an identical vessel, is based essentially on the fact that the fermenter, having fragile dough, requires programmable and settable temperature regulation, with a very slow tool rotation, functioning in complex cycles, over very long periods of time, with less transmission power, and with beneficial gas exchanges which are difficult to obtain by means of a slow tool movement; the generation of cold and heat on the bottom of the vessel is carried out from one or two very bulky thermal systems, whereas, on refrigerated choppers, there is a particularly compact system which generates cold.
On fermenting mixing kneaders, with horizontal or vertical nonrotating vessel, in a vertical configuration, power-assisted raising of the head assembly is desirable, as described, for example, in French patent number 93/08198 of Jul. 13, 1993 published under number 2707525, but it is expedient to place, for example, an open-ended sequencing programmer on the head, in addition to the utility intakes, sensors, an access trapdoor to the vessel and a lighting system. Only liquid-sourdough fermenters are known in the prior art, and solely in vertical form; however, they present hygiene problems and change the ancestral manual customs in the manufacture of sourdough from dough and from a parent stock carefully kept cold, with regeneration by means of dough during its use. Moreover, a simplified and expedient programming is conceivable.
On fermenting mixing kneaders with a nonrotating and rotating vessel, during the kneading of breadmaking doughs and, more particularly of delicate sourdoughs, it is necessary to avoid the tearing of the fibers of the dough. Consequently, sourdough kneaders and fermenters with counterrotating tool movements, as described in European patent number 87104397.2 of Mar. 25, 1987, published under the number 0240842, and French patent number 94/02618 of Feb. 24, 1994, published under number 2716337, have effects on the aromas in the preparation of doughs, in spite of their high kneading speed. It is preferable to use, as a basis, kneaders, as described in the abovementioned French patent number 93/11754 of Sep. 27, 1993, only one tool of which is rotating, in order to benefit from neutral kneading, without tearing at a speed adapted according to the variable consistency of the doughs. Moreover, it is known that the control of the total kneading energy is also of major importance in terms of the value and constancy. of the results, in order to avoid xe2x80x9cunder-kneadingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cover-kneadingxe2x80x9d, as described in French patent application number 95/12451 of Oct. 23, 1995, published under number 2740234. The instantaneous kneading energy applied to the dough by the tool has a very important influence on the aromas, hence the usefulness of the variable-speed transmission on high-performance kneaders; however, the consistency of the dough is found to change according to the phases, the temperatures and many other parameters, moreover along with intermittent stresses, depending on the location of the branches of the rotating tool in relation, on the one hand, to the wall of the vessel and on the other hand, to the branch of the tool nonrotating with the dough stream in formation. Several measuring systems may be used, such as: measurement of the current intensity, a sensor in the rotating tool or a strain gauge with a lever arm on a floating transmission, but the most expedient is the device for converting the mechanical energies into thermal energies, as described in the abovementioned French patent application number 95/12451 of Oct. 23, 1995, by measuring the temperature differential of the dough, since only this system is insensitive to the variable quantities of dough, to the kneaders and to the speed.
On fermenting mixing kneaders with a rotating vessel, with a rotating tool working only in part of the vessel, the detector of the safety screen acts, for example, as soon as raising by tilting takes place, by stopping the machine, but a space of the order of one hundred and forty millimeters is accepted for feeling the dough. Safety is therefore far from being absolute, and effective additional protection is conceivable.
The present invention, applied to horizontal fermenting kneaders, with rotating tool and nonrotating tool, has as its subject:
an assembly of power-assisted tilting devices with locking of positions of the vessel;
a specific device for holding by articulation, ensuring the functioning of the rotating tool/nonrotating tool combination, while allowing the tilting of the vessel;
a special arrangement of the thermometric probe;
a device for heat exchanges by means of a heat transfer fluid circulating in the rotating tool.
The present invention relating to fermenting mixing kneaders, with nonrotating and rotating vessel, has as its subject:
a device for the injection of thermostatically controlled gaseous products into the dough mass in the vessel by means of a nonrotating tool;
a specific cooling and heating system;
a device for the manufacture and preservation of sourdough, with multiple items of equipment, for example on the raisable head.
The present invention relating to fermenting mixing kneaders, with nonrotating and rotating vessel has as its subject a device for the measurement and setting of the instantaneous kneading energy in repetitive time cycles by the regulation of the variable-speed drive of the transmission assembly associated with the tool or, if appropriate, that of the vessel.
The present invention relating to fermenting mixing kneaders, with rotating vessel and with rotating tool, working only in part of the volume of the vessel, has as its subsidiary subject an optical safety sensor complementary to that of the screen.
To achieve the object of the invention, in horizontal fermenting mixing kneaders, a first device according to the invention resides in that the tilting of the vessel takes place by means of commercially available gas or fluid jacks, one of which is equipped with an integrated valve, capable of being controlled by a lever and thus allowing setting/locking in different positions without jolts, in order to make progressive emptying of the vessel possible, and, at the professional""s choice, for his working comfort. The combination of a plurality of gas jacks is preferable, with different and variable forces, depending on the jack, and also the location of their rod, as a function of the tilting position of the vessel and of its load which are variable.
A second device according to the invention resides in that, by virtue of articulation, the holding of the easily demountable structure: nonrotating shaft/rotating sleeve/vessel pivot, is ensured by means of the frame, with a bearing carrier supporting the assembly. This design makes it possible for the rotations/tiltings to be possible and be ensured by means of rings/thrust bearings made of self-lubricating materials, with rolling bearings and seals having reasonable diameters. A reverse device may also be envisaged, with the bearing carrier fastened to the vessel and a pivot to the frame, still ensuring the free tilting of the vessel.
A third device according to the invention involves placing the thermometric probe in the low part of the nonrotating tool, so as to pass through the hollow static shaft supporting this tool via an orifice, in a suitable way.
A fourth device according to the invention involves using the hollow rotating kneading tool as an additional heat exchanger, with an intake and an outlet in one of the rotating sleeves of one of the articulations, in order to cause a heat transfer fluid to circulate via an intake and an outlet on another nonrotating sleeve fastened, for example, to the frame, with seals located between the rotating and nonrotating sleeves and taking the form of grooves produced by means of high-quality, for example, composite gaskets functioning as rolling bearings and resistant to very high temperatures.
In fermenting mixing kneaders with a horizontal or vertical nonrotating vessel, a fifth device according to the invention involves using the hollow nonrotating tool as a conduit for thermostatically controlled liquid or gaseous product, in order to make it possible to continuously or intermittently inject or atomize, by means of a nozzle equipped with a leaktight nonreturn and distribution valve, a liquid or a gaseous product, for example based on oxygen, at a very low adjustable pressure, into the product in preparation, in order to assist the regenerating gas exchange.
A sixth device according to the invention involves using Peltier-effect modules of very small overall size in order to generate cold and heat, for example indirectly on the double casing of the vessel, by means of a circulating heat transfer fluid, or, directly, on the bottom of a commercially available high-capacity pot, as standard, with a diffusing bottom or a three-material bottom, for perfect diffusion/distribution on the bottom and walls of the vessel, to the renewed stream of pasty product in preparation. As regards the Pettier-effect modules, depending on their electrical connection and their faces, they generate cold and heat on the perfectly machined bottom or plane wall to which they are fastened, preferably with a ventilation designed to discharge the useless opposing heat via the unused faces of these modules.
A seventh device according to the invention involves substituting for the liquid-sourdough fermenters a pasty-sourdough fermenting kneader which presents fewer hygiene problems and makes it possible to cause movement mechanically, while at the same time remaining close to the ancestral manual working customs. On these vertical and horizontal fermenting kneaders, in addition to the fifth and sixth devices mentioned above, it is expedient to provide on the head of the appliance and on the walls of the vessel, at suitable locations, the intakes for gaseous and liquid substances, the sensors, such as temperature, pH and liquidity sensors, with a lighting system, and a trapdoor for access to the vessel, during operations, without having to raise the head assembly. In order to simplify the functioning of the cycles of the pasty-sourdough fermenting kneader, in the fermenting position, there is provision for the slow rotation of the tool, associated with long periods of time, to a maximum of forty-eight hours, to be triggered by the function of the thermal device, hence the usefulness in accurately setting the ranges of the temperatures which will trigger more or less frequently the functioning of the thermal system, under cold or hot conditions, with respect to a programming of the temperature of the pasty sourdough, according to the phases: manufacture, holding and making available. To be precise, especially in the heat exchanges between the walls of the vessel and a dough, it is essential to have a homogeneous dough temperature and that the stream of dough be continuously renewed on the walls, with the knowledge that, in biotechnology, controlled temperatures and gas exchanges are the keys to optimum results. As an example, the programmer may be a commercially available digital transmitter/sequencer/regulator with microprocessor, which performs a plurality of programming/regulating functions and is equipped with a plurality of measurement displays. For example:
In the manufacturing phase: time and temperature/display are programmed.
In the holding phase: time and temperature/display are programmed.
In the use phase: time and temperature/display are programmed.
The thresholds of the temperature range are set.
The diffusion of the gaseous product is set.
The kneader/fermenter switch is tipped to the fermenting position.
Fermentation is started, and the change in the temperatures of the pasty sourdough in the vessel can be followed, this change triggering the cycles.
It is also possible, after laboratory tests, to establish the ideal temperatures in phases and, with the aid of a suitable automatic programmable unit, to retain only the programming of the times in phases, for the users, for the purpose of extreme simplification.
On fermenting mixing kneaders with a nonrotating and rotating vessel, an eighth device according to the invention involves having the possibility of selecting the type of kneading and maintaining a constant working energy, in repetitive time cycles, and, for example, of temperature measurements, whatever the consistencies, phases, types of kneader, Boughs and the quantity of these to be treated, by sequencer or automatic programmable unit acting on the regulation of the variable-speed drive. Depending on whether the programmed threshold is exceeded or not, in degrees or tenths of degree, for example, per minute, the device automatically regulates a reduction or an increase in the speed of the transmission or of some transmissions to the vessel and to the tool, in the desired proportions, to ensure a regularity of the optimum result. It is expedient to specify that, the more the speed of the tool is reduced, the more the kneading energy decreases, but that, in kneaders with a rotating vessel, it is possible to choose to act solely on the speed of the vessel, in the knowledge that, the more the speed is increased, the more the kneading energy is reduced. Moreover, it is necessary to equip the appliance with a functional programmer, for example with a commercially available digital indicator/transmitter/sequencer/regulator with microprocessor, which can make it possible to program the measurement threshold, its reading and its follow-up by display, and also the information per cycle, into the variable-speed drive, in order to change the speed according to range, for the purpose of maintaining the same kneading energy by means of cyclic corrections.
The programmer may be used as follows:
The temperature of the dough is displayed.
The measurement of the energy is programmed with display.
The speed range is set.
The kneader/fermenter switch is tipped into the kneader position.
Kneading is started, and the change in the temperature of the dough in preparation can be followed.
The programmer may be equipped, moreover, with a display of measurements of the total kneading energy and assume the various kneading and fermentation functions, all these programings and measurements being:
the temperatures,
the speeds,
the times.
However, it is necessary to know that a kneader requires programming over a maximum of thirty minutes, with a higher speed than the fermenter which itself requires programming time which may go up to a maximum of forty-eight hours. It is possible that the displays can ensure the two functions alternately, for example: the kneadings during the working time and the fermentations during the rest time, all the more because, on average, the baker carries out three or four kneadings per night and, for each kneader, the proportion of good dough does not exceed thirty percent of the mass in the vessel.
On fermenting mixing kneaders with a rotating vessel, with a rotating tool working only in part of the volume of the vessel, a ninth device according to the invention involves placing, for example, on the safety screen, generally capable of being turned down, and so as to leave a space for feeling the dough, an optical-curtain sensor capable of being illuminated and triggering stopping as soon as it is crossed. This optical sensor may be arranged in various ways, mainly on the screen or on the frame. It may consist of a beam, replacing a curtain depending on the types of kneaders and their capacity.